Orthodox Reform [Dallas]
April 11, 2007
http://orthodoxreform.org/cases/fr-nicholas-katinas/snap-calls-on-metropolitan-isaiah-to-apologize/
An article posted yesterday from the Dallas News Religion Blog takes Metropolitan Isaiah to task for his insensitive letter regarding the Fr. Nicholas Katinas sexual misconduct scandal. Leading members of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) say the "bishop showed no mercy to the survivors and their families" and use strong language to condemn his letter, saying it "seemed designed to intimidate others into remaining silent." This support group for clergy sex abuse victims "is calling upon a Greek Orthodox church official to apologize for his insensitive remarks and to reach out to others who may have been hurt by an accused abusive priest."
 |
SNAP says Metropolitan Isaiah implied the victims were somehow to blame:
| In February, Metropolitan Isaiah of Denver sent a letter to parishioners of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox church. The letter was prompted by child sex abuse accusations against Fr. Nicholas Katinas, who was permanently suspended from active ministry in July. In the letter, the bishop claimed that "Satan never sleeps" and implied that those who spoke up about the alleged abuse were somehow to blame. "The bishop extols the virtues of the perpetrator and never mentions the pain and suffering of the victims.," said Great Larson of Pokrov.org, a website for survivors of abuse in the Orthodox Churches. "He refers to Katinas' alleged sterling character and yet ignores that even church officials admit there have been other accusations against Katinas." |
What kind of letter should the bishop have written? SNAP says this:
| "The bishop had a chance to send the correct message "if you tell, we will believe you and help is available," said Barbara Dorris, outreach director for SNAP. "He could have written a far different letter, begging people to come forward with information and asking them to support the victims while investigating the crimes. Instead he chose to blame the victims." While his letter discussed forgiveness and compassion, the bishop showed no mercy to the survivors and their families, SNAP members feel. He referred to victims and witnesses who reported crimes as taking "pride in spreading bad news" instead of praising their courage and urging others to follow their lead. |
A copy of SNAP's letter, sent by fax and e mail, is below:
| April 10, 2007 Dear Metropolitan Isaiah, We are very upset by the insensitive letter you sent on February 22, 2007 to members of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox church concerning Fr. Nichaolas Katinas. First, you make no mention whatsoever of Fr. Katinas' alleged victim or victims. Even if you suspect Fr. Katinas is innocent, you should have been fair-minded and sensitive enough to acknowledge the possibility that he may have molested someone at Holy Trinity or elsewhere. An anonymous allegation left on a voice mail or jotted on a piece of paper and slid under a door is very different. Katinas, however, is being sued in a court of law by an attorney who is very experienced in these kinds of cases. You owe it to your flock, to potentially vulnerable kids and to possibly wounded survivors, to at least mention the allegations and keep an open mind about them. Instead, by disclosing nothing about the alleged crimes, by implying that Satan may be behind all this, and by prematurely advising 'forgiveness' toward Katinas, you may have further hurt those Katinas may have abused and deterred others with information about Katinas' suspected crimes from coming forward. The first goal of your letter should be to encourage anyone who has suspected, witnessed or experienced crimes by Fr. Nicholas Katinas to speak up. The second goal of your letter should be to ameliorate the deep pain of anyone who has been abused, especially by a religious leader like Katinas. The third goal of your letter should be to help your flock learn the truth, because, as the Bible tell us "The truth shall set you free." Then and only then should you concern yourself with whether and when Holy Trinity parishioners forgive Fr. Katinas. Forgiving an alleged child molester is an individual choice. Protecting kids from an alleged child molester is a moral duty. Your focus, especially at this juncture, should be on the latter, not the former. Your letter, however, seemed designed to intimidate others into remaining silent. Ask yourself "If I had information that might lead to the protection of kids and the prosecution of a possible criminal, would this letter prod me to do my civic and moral duty, and call the police?" The answer is no. Ask yourself "If I had been molested by this predator (or another), would this letter prod me to come forward and get help?" The answer is no. Prematurely preaching 'forgiveness' can keep kids at risk, victims in pain, and parishioners in confusion. You could help solve a potential crime, and thereby safeguard innocent youngsters, by being thoughtful, compassionate, and courageous. Instead, you are being self-serving, short-sighted and cruel. The sexual abuse of kids is sadly, very prevalent in our society. Even if Fr. Katinas is ultimately found innocent, the odds are that at least one girl or boy in the Holy Trinity community is being sexually abused right now. The odds are that his or her predator is saying "If you speak up, no one will believe you." When that child reads or hears about your letter regarding Fr. Katinas, he or she will be far more inclined to think "My perpetrator is right – I'd better keep my mouth shut." We ask that you send a second letter to Holy Trinity. We ask that you gently but clearly – urge victims and witnesses to any crimes by Fr. Katinas to come forward, call the police, and get help, – educate your flock about how rarely 'false allegations' are made against clergy, and – provide them with a variety of independent sources of help including contact information for our organizations. Or we ask that you provide us with a parish roster, so that we may do as Jesus taught us, and reach out to the lost and wounded sheep – anyone in the parish who has been molested. We look forward to hearing from you. David Clohessy, national director of SNAP Barbara Dorris, outreach director of SNAP Greta Larson, co-founder of Pokrov.org |
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.